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June 19 + Daily notes & readings

DAY 170 DAILY READINGS Jeremiah 7-9 & Psalm 15 DAILY NOTES Jeremiah 7 Notice the emphasis of God's house having God's name.  It belongs to God, but the people, through their unrighteous actions, have made it theirs.  God's house has been turned into a "den of robbers" (vs. 11).  Remember when Jesus said that (Matthew 21:13)? According to Jesus, what was the Temple supposed to be called? Remember when the people tried to use the ark of the covenant as a weapon against the Philistines (1 Samuel 4)?  That was at Shiloh.  Jeremiah brings that event to our minds again as a sign (vs. 14).  God says that human sacrifice was not his command, nor did it come to his mind.  You'll have to do some wrestling with the story of Abraham almost sacrificing Isaac (Genesis 22). Jeremiah 8 Jeremiah (God) says to unearth the kings' bones and lay them before the sun and moon and all the other gods they served and worshiped.  Ouch. Even animals understan
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June 18 + Daily notes & readings

DAY 169 DAILY READINGS Jeremiah 4-6 & Psalm 14 DAILY NOTES Jeremiah 4 Perhaps the people swore "As the Lord lives," but they did not do so in truth, justice or uprightness.  That's a sobering reminder that our words about God must match the way we live. Jeremiah (God) wants the people to move from an empty adherence to a covenant behavior (circumcision) to an attitude of praise before God.  In other words, empty religion is not appealing to God. God will ask the people to "wash" their heart "clean of wickedness" (Verse 14). Jeremiah feels as if God has deceived the people (Verse 10).  Maybe God didn't predict the peace Jeremiah was thinking of.  False prophets? Jeremiah 5 The same theme.  There were people who said, "As the Lord lives," because that was the religious thing to say.  But God says there is not one person who acts justly or seeks truth.  The people used the right words, but lived the wrong way.  #Pr
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June 15 + Daily readings & notes

DAY 166 Young love.  It's the thing of life.  Movies. Imagination.  The Bible?  That's what it looks like.  Let's get started with Song of Solomon and, hopefully, discover, truly, the answer to the long-held question: What's love got to do with it? DAILY READINGS Song of Solomon 1-4 & Psalm 11 DAILY NOTES Song of Solomon 1 We get our first taste of what so much of the book is about in Verse 2: Your love is better..... Even others (daughters of Jerusalem) admire and love the bride's husband (to be?). Does she feel less worthy of others because of her appearance? Verse 7 shows us that she desired to be with him.  She was not one "who is veiled beside the flocks."  That is, a woman of "low sexual morals." Song of Solomon 2 Verse 2 tells us how the man feels about the women.  She is "a lily among bramble." I've read two ideas about Verse 7.  That verse is repeated in Chapter 3.  First, the woman doesn
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June 14 + Daily readings

DAY 165 We're finishing another book of the Bible today.  How does that feel?  Well, don't let that get to your head.  It's all vanity😂😂😂 You've been reading Ecclesiastes.  So, you know what that means! My favorite verse from today's reading is 9:4: But whoever is joined with all the living has hope, for a living dog is better than a dead lion. Stay blessed...john DAILY READINGS Ecclesiastes 9-12 & Psalm 10
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June 13 + Daily readings

DAY 164 You're about to see why this is one of my favorite books in the Bible.  Of course, we're going to hear a lot more about wisdom.  But we're also going to be reminded that "it is fitting to eat and drink and find enjoyment...."  In other words, enjoy life.  It's a gift.  That's not a call to unrighteous living.  Rather, it seems that one of the righteous things we can do with our days is be appreciative enough to enjoy them. Stop chasing money.  Stop chasing notoriety.  Don't get, as my momma used to say, "too big for your britches."  Live life in awe of God and live.  That's how I try to live.  What about you? Stay blessed...john P.S. I've always been accused of being "against" church tradition.  Of course, that is a silly notion.  I'm not against tradition.  I'm against church tradition, for the sake of church tradition, over the mission of God.  Where do I get that from?  Jesus, of course.  Bu
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June 12 + Daily readings

DAY 163 We're starting the book of Ecclesiastes today.  It'll only take us 3 days to complete it.  See what you can learn from this book of wisdom.  I love this book because it seems to bring tension to common beliefs about God.  Don't worry; we grow through that tension. Here's t he Bible Project video illustrating the book's main points. Stay blessed...john DAILY READINGS Ecclesiastes 1-4 & Psalm 8
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June 9 + Daily readings

DAY 160 Why would anyone envy the wicked?  None of us think "I want to be wicked."  So, why is Proverbs (and it seems like there are several psalms, too) so concerned with reminding us to "not envy the wicked"? It's because of what they have.  Power. Money. Control. Stuff. Comfort. Whatever they want, really. Everything, seemingly, works out for them.  We don't realize it, but that's what a lot of us really want.  We want to do what we want to do.  We want what we want.  Look how much we work (and work) just to get more stuff.   And look where that has brought us.   Maybe there's something better to seek after in this life.  I wonder what it is. Stay blessed...john DAILY READINGS Proverbs 22-24 & Psalm 5
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